1. Hull UK City of Culture 2017 and its impacts on wellbeing: key findings, themes and issues from the preliminary outcomes evaluation
Professor Franco Bianchini  
Dr Nigel D Morpeth
Culture, Place and Policy Institute
University of Hull

2. The work of the Culture, Place and Policy Institute (CPPI)
Longitudinal evaluation research
Hull 2017-related research by University colleagues
Arts and health
Arts-sport crossovers
Intercultural exchange as a source of cultural/social/economic innovation
The arts, climate change and sustainable lifestyles
Hull UK City of Culture 2017 preliminary outcomes and final evaluation reports

3. The Hull 2017 cultural programme

4. Hull 2017 Impact Areas ARTS AND CULTURE PLACE MAKING ECONOMY
Developing the infrastructure and capacity of the local arts and culture sector; delivering and inspiring quality art (incorporating the creative case for diversity); building national and international collaboration; and developing local, national and international audiences for Hull’s cultural offer.
PLACE MAKING
Changing perceptions and positioning of Hull locally, nationally and internationally via city branding, cultural programming, infrastructure developments, and marketing and communications; with a particular focus on media profile, resident satisfaction, and visitor satisfaction.
ECONOMY
Achieving regeneration, increased revenue within the culture economy, increased value and volume of tourism, local contract and visitor spend multipliers; job creation, skills development, capacity building, and inward investment
SOCIETY AND WELLBEING
Developing learning, education and skills, health and wellbeing, and community pride and engagement; with a particular focus on social capital, inclusion, reducing isolation, community cohesion, life satisfaction and changing perceptions of protected characteristics.
PARTNERSHIPS AND DEVELOPMENT
Developing partnerships – political, strategic and commercial – to ensure readiness, enable delivery and secure legacy. Key elements include the investment in access, infrastructure (of the City and connections to the UK and overseas), marketing and positioning, fundraising, visitor welcome, and evidencing of the intrinsic value of arts and culture, as well as the broader benefits the sector brings.
Hull 2017 Impact Areas

5. Society and Wellbeing Key facts and figures
Aim 7: To improve wellbeing of residents through engagement and participation
increase levels of confidence and community cohesion among local audiences and participants
increase levels of happiness and enjoyment as a result of engaging with arts and culture
engage individuals from Hull and beyond to volunteer

6. Society and Wellbeing Key facts and figures
Increased confidence to engage in arts and in wider social and community activities
CONFIDENCE: JOIN IN & TAKE PART

7. Society and Wellbeing Outcomes
56,000 young people from over 100 educational institutions were offered opportunities to take part in the No Limits learning programme.
40% felt happier
34% improved their self-esteem
63% were encouraged to take part in more creative activities in the future

9. Percentages of Hull and East Riding residents feeling that their lives are “worthwhile”
Worthwhile - % and Mean Score
2017 (Hull)
2017 End of Season 1 (Hull)
2016
2015
APS April 2014 to March 2015
0-6 (Low/Medium)
31%
25%
30%
32%
21%
7-10 (High/Very High)
69%
75%
70%
68%
79%
Mean
7.23
7.55
7.27
7.17
7.66
Significant differences
Year – 2017 lower proportion with high/very worthwhile and lower mean score
Residents Survey & APS 2014 – 2017 sample has a higher proportion with low /medium worthwhile than the APS
Base: 2,694 Q: Overall, to what extent do you feel that the things you do in your life are worthwhile?

10. Trends in life satisfaction
Life satisfaction - % and Mean Score
2017 (Hull)
2017 End of Season 1 (Hull)
2016
2015
APS April 2014 to March 2015
0-6 (Low/Medium)
36%
30%
34%
37%
24%
7-10 (High/Very High)
64%
70%
66%
63%
76%
Mean
6.90
7.18
7.03
6.86
7.42
Significant differences
Year – 2017 lower proportion with high/very high life satisfaction and lower mean score for life satisfaction.
Residents Survey Hull & APS 2014 – 2017 sample has a higher proportion with low/medium life satisfaction than the APS
Base: 2,702 Q: Overall, how satisfied are you with your life nowadays?

11. “It was a marker of ambition
“It was a marker of ambition. Many cities project on a single building but to do it on that scale, in the first week of the City of Culture year, was really impressive.” (Made in Hull, Peer Assessor)

12. Trends in happiness Happy Yesterday - % and Mean Score 2017 (Hull)
2017 End of Season 1 (Hull)
2016
2015
APS April 2014 to March 2015
0-6 (Low/Medium)
36%
28%
33%
34%
31%
7-10 (High/Very High)
64%
72%
67%
66%
69%
Mean
6.92
7.36
7.11
6.99
7.21
Significant differences
Year – 2017 lower proportion with high/very happy yesterday and lower mean score
Base: 2,697 Q: Overall, how happy did you feel yesterday?

13. 1 in 10 feel lonely and isolated all/most of the time – similar to 2016 and 2015
Community Life Survey 2015/16:
Often/always = 4%
Some of the time = 12%
Occasionally = 19%
Hardly ever = 34%
Never = 31%
No Significant difference by year
Base: 2,698
Q: Please rate how often you feel lonely or isolated from others?

14. Concluding reflections
Difficult start to 2018 for Hull:
harsh and long winter
crisis at Hull College
re-emergence of negative media narratives about the city centre: retail crisis, homelessness, “ghost town”, Spice addicts
shortage of funding
arts projects not continuing in many schools
Maintaining momentum is going to be a challenge
Will increased cultural participation lead to sustainable changes in life choices?
The local elections of May 2018
Concluding reflections

15. Concluding reflections
Many of the impacts may take three, five, ten years or longer to be fully realised
This evaluation study shows the importance of local high quality arts provision for large scale cultural participation
Hull 2017 as a stage in a longer term process of culture-led regeneration: a clear need to maintain momentum and investment
Training programmes to transform volunteers into community activists
Potential to experiment with a broader definition of ‘culture’ to appeal to students and young people
Potential for culture to be at the centre of the public policy agenda
Concluding
reflections